The 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipe Band is a

grade one Grade 1 may refer to: *First grade, the first school year of primary education. *A Grade 1 Graded stakes race horse race * ''Grade One'' (TV series), a 2014 Chinese TV variety show *Grade 1 listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed b ...

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of Bagpipes, pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland b ...

formed in 1983 in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. They work in conjunction with a re-enactor troop for the

78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot The 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with 72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders to form the Seaforth Highlanders in 1881. ...

, the regiment that spent almost three years stationed at

Citadel Hill (Fort George) Citadel Hill is a hill that is a National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the English in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George—but only ...

(1869-1871). When the 78th Highlanders were in Halifax they had 21 drummers and 6 pipers. Today there are approximately 60 pipers and drummers. The band's

Pipe Major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

is Alex Gandy and the lead drummer is Tom Cuming.

History

In the 1930s, the Halifax Police Department sponsored a fife and drum band, which was dissolved in 1939. After the war, some of its members joined, as teachers, the Queen Elizabeth High School Army Cadet Corps Pipe Band. That was dissolved in the mid-60s and its members formed the civilian pipe band The Lovett Scots, which soon became the Wylde Thyme Pipe Band. In 1983, that band aligned itself with the Halifax Police Department, under the sponsorship of the Halifax Police Association. Under Pipe Major Wayne Moug, the 78th started competing at the grade three level and has since consistently maintained the title of Champion Supreme in Atlantic Canada, in competition through the Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association. In 1991, the band was promoted to Grade 1. In June 2001, due to budget issues, the band was released by the Halifax Police Department. The band immediately aligned itself with the re-enactor troop for the

and became the 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipes and Drums. It continued to climb in the international Grade 1 rankings, representing Halifax at competitions in Canada, the United States and Scotland. It regularly competes at the World Pipe Band Championships, ranking 8th in 2004, 13th in 2005 and 12th in 2015. In 2003 and 2014, the band won the North American Pipe Band Championships. At the last North American North American Pipe Band Championships, in 2019, the band placed third. The regiment's original pipe major, Alexander McKellar (1824-1895), wrote many compositions named after numerous battles of the 78th Regiment. Some of these including "The 78th's Farewell to

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

", "Burning of the Piper's Hut", "Highland Brigade's March to Lucknow" and "The Barren Rocks of

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

". There was some dispute about the authorship of The Barren Rocks of Aden, to which McKellar responded, "The air is mine. The name is mine. Who has a better right to give a name to a child but the father." The band played the "

Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...

" live with Sir

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

on July 11, 2009 in Halifax.

Pipe Majors

* Robert Smith 1983 * Wayne Moug 1983-1988 * Doug Boyd 1988-1994 * John Walsh 1994-1998 * Jack Maclean 1998-2001 * Roderick MacLean 2001-2011 * Alex Gandy 2011-

Discography

* ''The Pipes and Drums Of The 78th Highlanders'' (1997), Independent * ''The World Pipe Band Championships 2004'' (2004), Monarch Recordings

References

External links

78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipes & Drums

Halifax Citadel Regimental Association
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian marching bands Military bands of Canada Grade 1 pipe bands Canadian ceremonial units 1983 establishments in Nova Scotia

History

Pipe Majors

Discography

See also

References

External links